Hello Sunshine!
by stilted-stylus
Summary: When Hiromi discovers that she has to share her apartment with a certain obnoxious beyblading champion and his antisocial teammate, her orderly world gets thrown for a loop. ::Kai x Hiromi x Takao::
1. Roommates

**Hello Sunshine!**  
stilted-stylus

A/N: An experimental chapter fic based on and inspired by all the decent shoujo manga I've ever read and all the good Asian dramas I've ever watched.

Again, here are the translations for names _just_ in case you can't figure it out.

Hiromi: Hilary  
Kyouju: Kenny  
Takao: Tyson

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter One: Roomates**

* * *

"Are you absolutely sure you don't want to move in with me and my Aunt, Hiromi? 'Cause I know she wouldn't mind and we've got a lot of space…"

"I'm _sure,_ Kyouju, for the fifth time." The brunette rolled her eyes smilingly.

"But I don't think this neighborhood's the safest place for a young girl to be living all by herself…! I mean, did you see that guy we walked by right now?" The bespectacled boy pushed, a slight tremor in his voice. "Talk about menacing!"

"…That was a movie poster, Kyouju." Hiromi laughed, slowing down when her eyes caught sight of the brick building. "Apt Apartments. This is the place."

"…It looks a little…run-down to me…" He muttered, gaze roving over the worn beige walls and the one window frame on the third floor, hanging by a single hinge.

"Yeah." She admitted, looking to the photograph in her hands, "I guess the picture's a little dated."

She shrugged good naturedly, as she walked ahead, pushing through the front doors, "But c'mon, Kyouju! The landlord here gave me a crazy good deal! I mean, 1 bath, 2 bedrooms, plus cozy living space and kitchen complete with marble counter! All for 700 a month!" She waved sheepishly at the doorman, who looked bemused with her outburst.

Kyouju warily followed her up the stairs, muttering under his breath, "Yeah, because you can haggle like a madwoman. And I can't believe he fell for your I'm-a-sad-little-girl-with-no-place-to-go routine!"

The ruby-eyed girl giggled, "It's part of my charm."

They finally came to room 3F and Hiromi quickly fished out the key, excitement bursting at her figurative seams. "This is it."

She slowly, dramatically, inserted the key in the knob, gave a slight turn, waiting anxiously for the light 'click!' before—

"Oh would you just get on with it already?"

"…Can't you even pretend to be excited for me, Kyouju?"

He sighed, a little amused. "No."

And she pushed the door open.

They walked tentatively in, absorbing what was to be Hiromi's apartment for at least three entire years.

"I guess…its okay." The boy consented, noting that the apartment looked a lot less shabby than the front.

"What are you talking about? This is perfect!" The girl squealed excitedly, taking in the white wall's decent paint job and the slight veneer of the hardwood. She hurried over to the kitchenette, opening the fridge, the drawers, the cupboards, with no obvious purpose but to help her register that everything there, from the lone light on the ceiling, to her promised marble counter, was _hers_.

"This is so great." Hiromi smiled, as she laid her head upon the gray kitchen surface, "You know how long I've wanted one of these counters? Now you can come over before school starts and I can cook you breakfast!"

Kyouju grinned slightly before adding, "And if you lived with my aunt and me, you could cook me breakfast everyday!"

Hiromi tossed him a dead panned look.

He exhaled a breath, "Look, Hiromi, the place is…great. Fine, I said it." He looked over to her, concern in his eyes, "It's just…I don't want to worry about you, y'know?"

The brunette smiled in turn, walking over to him, "Aww, Kyouju. You're my best friend. Worrying about me is kind of part of the job description." She gave him a hug, "Thanks, anyway. But I'll be _fine_. Didn't you once say I was the most capable individual you'd ever met?"

"…I said you were the most demanding individual I'd ever met."

She punched him lightly, laughing, "Same difference."

He cringed, rubbing his arm, "…Ow."

* * *

After Kyouju had left, Hiromi took care of the necessary arrangements before settling in. First, she called her overly-worried mother who did not approve of her moving out in the first place. (The only reason she had consented was because the school she was to be attending as a first year, Kashikoi High, was rather prestigious in Japan.) 

Next she phoned said prestigious academy, confirming that she would be able to attend the first day of school.

Then, Hiromi contacted the movers, who were hauling over all her stuff from home tomorrow.

The girl, done with her phone for the time being, unpacked the duffel bag she'd brought along for her first night alone, unrolling the futon she'd borrowed from Kyouju's aunt.

Deciding she was hungry, she began to boil water for the pack of instant noodles that was to be her dinner. She then proceeded to the bathroom, so she could take a quick shower while the water boiled.

The night was going as smoothly as she had planned it before…she heard voices, and footsteps, and shuffling, near her front door. Her eyes widened a little, heart beginning to thump in her chest. As she clasped a hand to the beating muscle, she softly chided herself. Kyouju's paranoia must have been rubbing off on her.

Nonetheless, the noises grew nearer and her heart was pumping blood through her ears. She took in the light rasping of cloth against wood. Were they trying to get inside?

Quickly, she grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her damp form. She shivered and she knew it had more to do with fear than the sudden chill.

Hiromi, forcing determination and courage into her eyes, grasped the nearby plunger and exited the bathroom. Her grip was tight on the handle, and the only words ringing in her ears were Kyouju's: _"But I don't think this neighborhood's the safest place for a young girl to be living all by herself…"_

Slowly, she treaded through the hallway, footsteps light against the hardwood.

The voices were male, she could assume. …Robbers, maybe?

She waited nervously for them to pass, hoping her lock was good enough to hold them back, when—

_click!_

Hiromi gazed, horrified that the lock had come so easily undone. The voices were more audible now; _"I told you I could get in…"_

She calmed the shriek bubbling in her throat, gathering whatever courage she'd gained from her escapades with the Bladebreakers.

The door swung open, and before she could charge, she was met with overly-shocked, overly-_familiar_ faces.

"Hiromi?!" burst none other than Kinomiya Takao on her doorstep.

"Takao?!" She screeched just as startled.

Another surprised, rather incredulous, "Hiromi?" followed soon after and Hiwatari Kai's face appeared through the door.

"Kai?!"

She took one last look at them before Takao spoke up, "…Why are you holding that plunger above your head?"

Hiromi exhaled a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "Kami-sama, you guys almost gave me a heart attack! What the heck are you doing here?" She put a hand on her hip, eyes suspicious.

"No, it should be what are _you_ doing here?" He paused, reddening as his brown eyes cautiously slipped over her form, "…in a towel?"

The girl squeaked, turning an impossible shade of red. She quickly grabbed onto the edges of the white cloth, wrapping it even more tightly around her. "I…I asked first."

Kai grunted, motioning over to the bags in there hands, "We live here."

It took a second before his words could register.

Then, finally, "WHAAAAT?"

* * *

End 

A/N: Yes, I am ending it there. –evil laugh-


	2. Stalemate

**Hello Sunshine!**  
stilted-stylus

A/N: SORRY, SORRY, SORRY. I know I haven't updated in a while, but I just haven't been able to find the time. Hopefully, I'll be able to get chapters out quicker in the future.

I CANNOT believe I got this many reviews!!! –WOOT-

**SPECIAL THANKS TO**: Addi, K'onix, hershys-kiss, RedWheeler, pants 31, JuppieJutsu, and Nameless for all your support!

Anyway, _enjoy_.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Stalemate **

* * *

They stared at her, surprised and a little amused with the sheer force of her outburst. 

Hiromi calmed her nerves, taking in careful breaths. A figurative light bulb clicked on in her brain, "Oh, I get it." She murmured, lips breaking into a wide smile, "Did Kyouju put you guys up to this? I mean I know how much he doesn't want me living alone, but to go to this extent…" She babbled, missing their confused expressions, "You guys even brought duffel bags…"

She deftly ignored the logic that was flashing the hard facts in her face: 1) She hadn't seen either Kai or Takao in a little over a year. 2) So why would they arrive on her doorstep at 7 in the evening, just to appease Kyouju's paranoid wishes? 3) Batuken City was a long ways away from Tokyo (about two hours by bullet train) 4) Takao surely couldn't care that much anyway, and 5) Kai…was Kai. Period.

But the alternative was_way_ too coincidental; not to mention, it pulled the rug right out from under the pleasant idea she was to be living here on her own for some time.

"Wait. Hiromi, what are you _talking_ about?" Takao cut in, eyeing her as if she were crazy.

"…Kyouju obviously told you guys about my apartment and had hired the both of you to somehow chase me out." She said, grinning, though a little uncertainly, "I, for one, am not so easily persuaded, so if you'll excuse me…"

Hiromi nearly swung the door upon their befuddled selves, before Takao kicked a foot through the opening. "What are you _doing_?" He said incredulously. "You seriously think this is a joke?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at them, "…It…isn't?"

Of course things couldn't be that simple.

"It isn't, Hiromi." Kai then muttered, pushing the door a little more open, "_We_ live here. Apt Apartments on the corner of Kaiten Street and Omocha Road, Tokyo, Japan. Room 3F."

Takao added in, crossing his arms, "2 bedrooms. 1 bathroom. A living space and kitchen complete with marble counter, all for 1000 a month. We're the ones paying the rent, Hiromi, so we're the ones who'll be living here."

"You…_can't_."

Takao lifted a skeptic brow, "And why the heck not?"

"Because _I'm_ living here, genius." She murmured, gesturing vaguely to her towel. "What? You think I traveled all the way from Batuken and snuck into your apartment somehow to throw you a little house-warming party and surprise you with a peep show?" She seethed, clutching once again at her towel, coloring darkly.

If either had been drinking, they'd have sputtered right then.

"…Peep show?"

An awkward silence descended momentarily upon the trio before the female huffed, "Just…come in. We'll talk about this after I change."

The boys nodded numbly, gripping at their duffel bags as they walked in. Takao gazed about the room, setting his bag on the floor and settling on a stool fixed near the marble counter. Kai looked coolly around the space as well, deeming internally that it was adequate enough.

Minutes later, Hiromi walked out dressed in a large t-shirt, a pair of jogging shorts, and white fluffy slippers. She swung her towel under her hair and around her neck, combing away her tangles in quick, almost irritated strokes. "Ok." She mumbled when she finished, "Let's first…identify the problem here."

She looked to each of them, a certain seriousness in her expression, "You two claim to live here, is that correct?" Takao shook his head slightly in the affirmative. "Well, I too happen to have bought the rights to room 3F, Apt Apartments on the corner of Kaiten Street and Omocha Road, Tokyo, Japan. And I did not sign up for the surprise!roommate special."

Kai tossed her a deadpan look and she grew a little uneasy, "Did you call the landlord, Mr. Rusu?" She attempted, "Surely there must have been some mistake."

"No answer." Takao replied, "But hey, it's still pretty early. Why don't we try going over to the agency now?"

Hiromi looked impatiently to the watch on her counter, "Yeah, ok. We should get this settled as soon as possible." She combed out the tangles and the remaining moisture in her hair, "But you know guys," she mumbled distractedly, as she went to hang the towel in her bathroom, "After we clarify this entire mix-up, you guys can stay the night before you go out looking for another place. I mean, it's late and—"

"What makes you so sure that this place is yours?" Takao asked, cutting her off.

As she threw on her jacket, her ruby eyes drew into a light glare, "No offense, Takao, but when it comes to responsibility issues, I think it's safe to say I'm a little more reliable."

He scoffed, closing and locking the door behind them, "Sure. So you're borderline obsessive-compulsive. That doesn't mean I can't fill out a few contracts."

The vein in her temple pulsed, "Obsessive-compulsive? That's pretty impressive, coming from the guy who couldn't spell 'Doughnut' last year."

"There are two ways of spelling it! 'Doughnut' with the silent g, and 'donut'! D-O-N-U-T!" He yelled going red in the face. "And besides, Kai was with me! He was there to fix the, if any, tiny errors in my grammar! Are you calling him an idiot, too?"

"Of course not! I wasn't calling either of you an idiot, you jerk!"

"So now I'm a jerk!"

"Yes! That's the smartest thing you've ever said!"

"QUIET OUT THERE!" screamed one very irate neighbor from inside his apartment.

The two parties involved had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Sorry!" They replied in unison.

Kai merely rolled his eyes, stalking ahead and mumbling something about 'immaturity'.

Hiromi and Takao looked at each other a moment, anger having cooled off by the sudden dose of modesty, before they dissolved into a fit of snickers and tinkling giggles.

Though still fairly annoyed with one another, the fact was unmistakable, "Just like old times." Takao murmured, walking a little forward. Hiromi gave an amused nod and continued on after.

* * *

Thanks to the discovery that neither of the boys had changed much since they'd last met, Hiromi was spared the awkwardness of friends who'd hadn't seen each other in a long while. As they climbed into the taxi that was to take them to Uchi Residences, they could converse pretty normally. 

"So, how've you guys been?" Hiromi asked, "I mean, I haven't seen you two in over a year! What have you been up to?"

"A year, huh?" Takao murmured, "Has it really been that long?" The brunette rolled her eyes, and he shrugged, "Well, as you know, I took the year off to go with my Dad on his excavations. It was pretty damn cool!" The blue-haired blader said, eyes lighting with pleasant recollection, "I got to check out the pyramids in Egypt—saw a load of dead guys—"

Again, Hiromi rolled her eyes in a smiling sort of way.

"I was in Mexico a few weeks for the Mayan ruins, and in Greece too, for a bit." She took a moment to examine Takao as he babbled on of his exploits. He was taller (that was to be expected); his face was a little more defined at the jaw and his skin was lightly tanned. His navy hair still had that characteristic unruliness and was still tucked underneath that infamous cap. She smiled because his brown eyes were still alit with this…energy, and his tone (though deeper. Thank you puberty!) was as obnoxious as ever.

"I've practically been around the world." Takao grinned, a far off look in his eyes.

"Yes. Because going to three countries constitutes seeing the entire world." Kai mumbled in monotone from his seat in the front.

Hiromi laughed as Takao glared pointedly at his friend. She then asked, "And you Kai? How has your year been?"

Curious, Hiromi then looked to the stoic boy to her front and examined him carefully. He too was about as tall as Takao (a head above her, already) and his voice was deeper. However, he'd retained many of the qualities she'd remembered him for: The slate hair, the lavender eyes, the pale skin. And this calm, collected coolness beyond his years.

She then added smilingly, "Participate in any beyblading tournaments?"

She was sad to admit that she hadn't been up-to-date with the beyblading tournaments around the world. What with the team going their separate ways and she and Kyouju having to had studied hard for Kashikoi High's entrance exam, there just hadn't been enough time in between.

"…It was tolerable." He grunted after moments of contemplation. "Yes, I've competed in a few beyblading tournaments."

She waited a while for him to elaborate, when he suddenly said, "We're here."

"What?" She wondered as she unbuckled her seatbelt, "That's _it_? Nothing else happened in the entire _year_?"

He threw her another weighted look as they exited the taxi, "…Russia was cold."

* * *

They stared. 

Each equally surprised. Each equally dumbfounded. And each equally horrified.

"WHAAAT?" Well, perhaps Takao was a little bit more vocal about it.

There, upon the steel closing that cut them off from the inside of the space, was a sign that read: "Uchi Residences: On undisclosed hiatus."

"What do they mean 'undisclosed hiatus'? We talked to Rusu just a few days ago!"

"So did I! What the heck is going on?!" Hiromi cried.

The panicking duo looked to Kai as if he had the answer. "…Let's try calling again."

They did. And surprisingly, Mr. Rusu himself picked up. "Hello?"

"Mr. Rusu." Kai muttered into his phone, brows narrowing, "This is Hiwatari Kai. One of the three clients you rented apartment 3F, Apt Apartments, Kaiten St. and Omocha Rd., Tokyo, Japan, to. There seems to have been a mix-up."

Hiromi told him to put it on speakerphone.

The raspy voice of Mr. Rusu, a man in his late 70s, replied, sounding sheepish, "Ahaha. Hiwatari-kun. How astute of you to point that out…" He followed up by a series of coughs, which slowly eased into silence.

"Mr. Rusu! It's me, Tachibana Hiromi, remember? The girl you promised that apartment for 700 a month? …Please don't tell me that I can't live there! I'm just about settled in…!"

"What about us, Mr. Rusu! This is Kinomiya Takao!!! You rented that apartment to us for 1000, remember? You can't kick us out! We don't have anywhere else to go!"

"As if I do?" Hiromi bit incredulously. (Well, technically, she did have a place to go (Kyouju's) but after fighting so hard and so long for her own place, she didn't like how Takao's statement insinuated that it was ok to kick _her_ out.)

"Well…um…" Mr. Rusu was racked again in coughs, "You see kids…The apartment's actual value is…2000."

"…WHAAT?" This time, it was Hiromi's innate loudmouth-ness that spoke up first. "But you told me 700! That's more than twice as much!!!"

"It was supposed to be 1000 for the both us together, not 1000 each!" Takao whined.

Kai cursed under his breath, "You told us 1000 a month. You told her 700 a month. Are you openly admitting to conning us?"

"…Now wait just a minute there, Hiwatari-kun." Mr. Rusu spoke into the phone, again sounding rather awkward, "It was an honest mistake. You see, I signed Tachibana-chan up for 3F Apt Apartments in Batuken, and I signed Kinomiya-kun and Hiwatari-kun up for 3F Apt Apartment in Russia."

"…_Why_?" they all wondered aloud, the irritation evident in their voices.

"Well, because Tachibana-chan said she was from Batuken and Hiwatari-kun said he was from Russia." He replied succinctly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"…Then why would we have a conference with a landlord in Tokyo?" Hiromi asked.

On the other line, Rusu laughed in the midst of coughs, "Ohohoho. –cough- I don't know. …I don't hear very well."

A quiet overcame the trio. (Any passerby would have definitely thought the sight odd: Three teenagers standing under a streetlight, hunched over something of obvious importance, and remaining deathly silent.)

"…Anyway," Rusu finally murmured, "The apartment you three are looking to rent out is 2000 a month. I mean, it's located in Tokyo, near the prestigious Kashikoi High." He coughed, "…I doubt you'll find a place there under 2000, ahahaha."

The silence once again ensued.

That is, till Takao outburst, "You are a freakin' idiot!!! WHAT the hell are we supposed to do now?!"

They waited on the old man's answer as if he were about to deliver an ultimatum.

"…Mr. Rusu?"

"…Why don't you all just live together?" They could tell from the other line, that he was grinning when he said it. "You young'uns seem to get along just fine…so why not?"

A noiselessness of a different feel overtook the three. They could hardly reply because the thought hadn't even crossed their minds.

…Living together? Kai and Takao and Hiromi calling the same place home?

Hm.

"…Looks like I have some business to attend to elsewhere…Why don't we schedule a meeting tomorrow? Say 1 p.m.?" He coughed a final fit before calling out a meek goodbye and hanging up.

* * *

The three teenagers went 'home' in silence, each individual stewing over their own thoughts. 

It wasn't until said three were sitting in said 'home', that Hiromi finally spoke up, "I think we should do it."

Each of the males gave her a look that spoke the nonverbal, 'do _what_?'

"Live together, I mean." She explained, touching a fist to her open palm. She rolled her eyes at their astonished countenances. "I mean, let's look at this logically. One: None of us have other places to stay (Hiromi had already completely forgotten the option of Kyouju's aunt amidst the chaos). Two: We can split the price three-way. I'll still pay my 700 and you two will have to provide 650 each, but really, it's_nothing_ to pay off even with just a part time job."

"I have to get a job?!" Takao complained.

She threw him a deadpan look, reminiscent of Kai's, "_Yes_. …unless jii-san's sending you a boatload of monthly allowance."

Takao look downcast, and Hiromi smirked, continuing, "Three: Our stuff is already on its way via movers. It'll be such a hassle to move everything again."

She smiled, "Four: It's not like we're strangers anyway. I've been at enough your guys' sleepovers to be comfortable enough to share the bathroom. And there are two rooms. I'll take one, and you guys can Rock, Paper, Scissors! the other bedroom versus the living room."

"Why do you get a room?" Takao grumbled, eyes narrowing.

"That's because a girl needs her privacy." The brunette explained, snorting, "Or would you like for the living room to be strewn about with pink lace and stuffed animals?"

The boy shuddered and Hiromi smirked, "Didn't think so."

"So…what do you guys think? Are you up for it?" She then added in mock-seriousness, "If you don't agree, I'm willing to fight the both of you to the _death_."

Takao chuckled lightly and Kai rolled his eyes, semi-amused.

They nodded slowly in the affirmative and she cheered, "Then I'll go make some more noodles!"

Both guys looked at her questioningly and she responded with a contagious smile, "This momentous event calls for a little celebration, don't you think?" She took a delicate sip of her orange juice before raising the glass to them, "Welcome home, roommates!"

* * *

End 

A/N: …A little awkward I think. I wrote the majority of this at like one a.m. so I guess that'll be kind of expected… O.o OH WELL.


End file.
